Before you start

I strongly encourage you to clean your MagicBand before applying a decal. Even if your wrist band is coming straight out of the box, there could be oil or a micro-fine powdery residue from the manufacturing process. Rubbing alcohol works great, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, which will remove any dirt or oil and dries super fast.

If you’re already on vacation and rubbing alcohol isn’t readily available, other cleaning options are mild soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (a clear one that doesn’t have glitter or moisturizing beads in it). Avoid any home or commercial cleaning solutions, which may contain harsh chemicals that could discolor the rubber and plastic of your MagicBand, or leave them looking ‘cloudy.’ Mild liquid or bar soap is best. If you’re comfortable using it on your skin, you’re safe to use it on your MagicBand.

Alcohol Method:

Using a soft cloth or paper towel, apply rubbing alcohol and gently scrub all over. Allow to dry completely before applying a decal.

Hand sanitizer method:

Apply a generous amount of hand sanitizer gel, gently rub/scrub all over with your fingers to remove oil or dirt, then wipe clean and dry with a towel or soft cloth.

Soap method:

Liquid dish soap or hand soap works great, or even bar soap from the bathroom in your resort room. Apply soap and water, gently rub/scrub with your fingers, and rinse. Dry with a soft cloth. Make sure your band is completely dry before applying your decal.

Use Heat!

Temperature and humidity can affect how well your decal sticks during your initial application. Even if you live somewhere sunny and warm, you may have your air conditioning set to FREEZE, so applying some extra heat will give you the best adhesion and longevity. If your MagicBand is cold, decals have a hard time sticking. A decal that’s already applied will NOT peel in the cold, it’s just harder to apply a new decal to a cold band. I experienced this for the first hand at Disney one November when it was actually chilly enough in Florida to be wearing pants and a jacket! I had a hard time applying decals to cold wristbands on the fly in the parks. For the best adhesion and durability, apply decals at home or in your resort room where you can warm them up with a hair dryer.

You will find links to step-by-step application instructions at the top of this page. Before decal application and also as the final step after application, warm up both your wrist band and decal with a hair dryer set on medium heat, 10 to 20 seconds. This will make your decal a bit more flexible during application, allowing you to smooth out wrinkles. The adhesive will cure as it cools down and over time become even more durable. You can also heat up a decal to carefully lift and reposition an illustrated decal if your first application attempt is a bit crooked. You can NOT lift and reposition a glitter decal, so take care with your first attempt.